Writing papersRNZCGP Research DayAucklandThursday 1st September 2011

Prof Felicity Goodyear-SmithDepartment of General Practice & Primary Health Care University of Auckland

Cooking up that publication

Make the time

• Pressure cooker approach: set aside block of time

• Casserole: slowly over time

• Slowly over time

Organisation: storage

• Keep all project files in 1 folder

• +/- sub-folders

• Include Endnote (bibliography) file

Preparation

Assemble your ingredients

• Grant proposals

• Ethics application

• Data set

• Study reports

• Reference list

Preparation

Organise your utensils

• Literature databases

• Bibliography software (Endnote)

• Instructions for authors: (see journal)

Are you working on your own?

or do you have collaborators?

Rules for co-authorship

Substantial contribution to:

1. Conception & design, or analysis & interpretation of data

PLUS

2. Drafting article or revising critically for important intellectual content

Rules for co-authorship

Be inclusive but exclude sleeping partners

Participation solely in acquisition of funding OR collection of data does not justify authorship

Too many cooks…

1.Need one person to take control

2. May assign roles to others

Amendments

• Track-changes

• Highlighter

• Paper versus electronic

Lead writer

• Nag your co-authors (gently)

• May have to spoon-feed

• Set time limits for response

Chose your journal

Who is the audience?

Weigh up target readers / impact factor

Journal IF eg

New Eng Med J = 50

BMJ = 13.7

NZMJ = 0

JPHC = watch this space

Target audience eg

world scientists

PHC academics

local GPs

your mother

Start at the top?

• Is there any chance of top journal publishing this?

• Will it provide good reviewer comments?

• Will it take long?

What type of journal?

• NZ or international?

• UK / Europe, North America Australasia

• General medical or primary health care?

Sub-speciality? Think laterally?

Open access (e-journal only)?

Article processing charge of £1125/US$1835/€1285 payable for articles accepted for publication.If your institution, society or other organization is a BioMed Central member, this cost may be wholly or partly covered by the membership arrangement.

Other aspects to weigh up

• Fits aim & scope of journal

• Rejection rate of journal

• Speed of journal turn-around

Ways to find journal

• Check journals in reference list• Ask colleagues • Journal citation reports (web of Science)

o Science & Social science directorieso Search by subject category o or by title word eg ‘Family’’

• Medline / Embase• Google

Qualitative papers – check:

• Does journal publish?

• Are quotes included in word count?

• Reduce word count by table of themes & quotes

Check instructions for authors

• Check journal website (find via Google)

Check rules:• Word count• Size, structure of

Abstract• Layout • Reference style

Getting started

Set up template:•Page set-up•Font type & size•Language •Page numbers•Headings / subheadings

Can start draft while project in process

Model paper

Use exemplary paper as model

Identify early

What is already known

What new knowledge you add to the basket

Now you’re cooking…

•Clarify aim

• Cut & paste Intro / background & methods from proposals, ethics applications, reports etc

Title

To whet the appetite

“The black hole of GP manpower”

“Pandora's e-box: general practitioners reflect upon email communication with their patients”

Include study design? Eg RCT, systematic review

Key words

• Medical Subject Heading Terms (MeSH)

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=MeSH&term

• Check journal articles for relevant words

Introduction

Why you did it

•What is available?

•Where is the gap?

Aim

What you planned to find out or create to fill the gap

Methods

What you didSetting Sample

Inclusion Exclusion

Methods

• Design Analysis

Design Analysis

How you did it

Results

What you found, what you created

• Describe sample,

response rate

Results

What you found, what you created

Text OR

figures & tables

Discussion

Principal findings:

Strengths Weaknesses

Mmmm….

Discussion

Meaning / implications :

• how this fits in

• Unanswered questions / future research

References

Bibliography software (eg Endnote library)•Compile as you go•Import from databases where possible•Pros & cons of separate libraries per project or topic

Acknowledgements

• Participants eg health providers

consumers

• Colleagues

• Funders

Edit / proof read

Brevity & clarity – cut & slash

Language consistently UK or US?

Spelling, grammar, punctuation correct?

Ask colleague to sample

Re-circulate to co-authors

All must approve the final version

Check submission requirements

• Combined or separate files

• Possible referees

• Additional documents Conflict of interest Copyright

Submission

Obey instructions!Include in your covering letter to Editor:• What your research adds to what is

already known • Why their journal should publish your

paper

Log your submissions

• Ensure journal acknowledges submission

Log:• paper name & authors• date submitted• name of journal• date rejected• date resubmitted to new journal • etc

In press

Once acceptedmove from log to CV

Tardy journals

• Check probable decision date

• Use outlook or diary reminder if no response by that date

• • (Politely) email to ask what is happening

re paper

• If too long, consider withdrawing paper

Rejection!

Get over it! (fast)

Appeal?

Get over it! (fast)

Appeal?

Do not let it languish…

Resubmit quickly • Useful comments from reviewers?• Chose new journal (more realistic?)• Re-write to fit new journal criteria /

referees’ reports

Gourmet or fast food?

If too many rejections & / or taking too long, chose more lowly journal likely to publish

Got stuck?

Identify missing ingredient

Add to shopping list

Usual source

Special source

Colleague

Technical assistance

Training

Bon Appétit

• Peer-reviewed journal of RNZCGP

• Replaced NZ Family Physician 2009

(35 yrs, not MEDLINE)

• MEDLINE achieved 2010

• Pacific rim: Māori, Pacific & Asian health issues

• Fields include:– Clinical practice in primary care– Health care delivery– Health promotion– Epidemiology– Public health– Medical sociology

Scope

• Quantitative• Qualitative• Mixed method• Systematic review

& meta-analysis• Improving performance• Case reviews

Rigorous peer review

Original research

Features

• Guest editorials

• Back to Back debate

• Ethics column

• Essays (usually undergo peer review)

• Book reviews (NZ authors)

String of PEARLS (Practical Evidence About Real Life Situations)

Linked summaries statement of Cochrane reviewsEg Back pain

Charms & HarmsNow called Potion or Poison?

Evidence of benefit & harm of well-known herbal medicines

Pounamu

Maori primary healthcare treasures

Vaikoloa

Vai (water) is symbol of ‘life-source’

koloa (treasures) to share

Back to Back debates

YES / NO

Possible contributions• Submit original research papers• Guest editorials• Essays• Back to Back – suggest topics• Letters to Editor• Books for review• Peer review papers• 100 word synopses for Gems

http://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/journal-of-primary-health-care

/

100 word gems

Short summaries of PHC research conducted in NZ by NZers

Encapsulate method & findings of study

Stand-alone but also can email for full paper

Benefits to publishing in JPHC

• Rigorous peer review• Rapid turn-around• Reach target audience of NZ PHC

practitioners• Help develop & grow NZ flagship PHC

journal• Now MEDLINE listed• Impact factor coming soon

Writing for Journal of Primary Health CareInstructions for authors

Follow instructions!

Templates for: • Quantitative papers• Qualitative papers• Improving performance papers• Covering letter• Patient consent forms

Instructions for peer reviewers• Template for peer reviews

editor@rnzcgp.org.nz